Test Your DIY Knowledge on QuizRevolution

As explained in skill No. 3, a maul’s widely tapered head is more suited to splitting firewood than an ax’s, which has a narrow shape that easily gets stuck in end grain. Use the ax to chop across the grain, use an adze like a pickax for close shaping work and use a twibill to make shoebox-size mortises on post-and-beam construction. (Before you go looking at the home center, please note that most twibills had their heyday in medieval Europe.)

The mistake most homeowners make when mixing concrete, according to skill No. 63, is to add too much water. This makes the mix too soupy (or saucy). Another common problem is adding water once the concrete stiffens—this creates watery voids in the mix, which in turn weakens the bonds that form between calcium silicate hydrates. The consistency is correct when you can squeeze the concrete in your fist with none crumbling or oozing between your fingers.

Skill No. 38 advises that you swing a sledgehammer as you would a baseball bat: Keep your eye on the ball. Wear safety glasses so you can open your eyes, because a hammerhead tends to strike wherever you’re looking when you swing.

Any underground area is best (as a last resort, lying facedown in a ditch will work). A National Weather Service expert quoted in skill No. 56 says most injuries result from flying debris. Wear a bicycle or batting helmet, and cover yourself with a mattress or couch cushions.

Bypass lopper works best for branches between 5/8 - 7/8 in. branches. Skill number 97 states that a bypass pruner works best for branches less than 5/8-in. in diameter, and an anvil lopper works best on dead branches. The anvil action will crush live stems (as would a chisel), slowing the healing process. Trim close to the trunk, leaving intact the ring, or collar, at the base of the branch.

Skill No. 4 recommends standing with the toes of your work boots against the ladder’s base and extending your arms horizontally. When you can just grasp the rung at shoulder level with your arms fully extended, the ladder is at a safe angle.

The first of the 100 skills explains that a wider band of compound makes a smoother transition from the joint to the rest of the panel. Make your first coats with a 4-in. knife, then move up to an 8- or 10-in. blade for the final coats.

Skill No. 22 says a spade bit’s speed and efficiency is hindered by its tendency to split wood upon exiting. Prevent this by clamping a scrap piece of wood under your workpiece, then drill straight through into the scrap. Another method: Stop drilling when the bit’s tip begins to break through, then flip the workpiece and finish the hole by drilling from the opposite side.

An additional point of the toenailing technique, as illustrated in skill No. 30: To prevent a stud from moving laterally when toenailing it to a plate or header, place the toe of your boot behind the stud as you hammer.

Anything connected to electrical wiring or plumbing can conduct electricity, as skill No. 54 indicates, so that eliminates the sink and the TV. Tall, isolated trees draw bolts as well, but mobile phones are safe to use. If you’re outside, try to get into a hardtop vehicle—the metal framework will conduct lightning around you.

False. Instead, swim parallel to the shoreline, says skill No. 83. Once you get out of the rip current, which is a powerful but relatively narrow band of water running out to sea, you can turn back in toward shore.

True. Skill No. 45 would’ve told Lady Macbeth to get the damn’d spot out with cold water and mild detergent. Blot, soak and, if it remains, try Windex (ammonia) and soak again. Still there? Treat the stain with hydrogen peroxide before a final cold soak. Don’t heat-dry until the stain is gone.

False. The fastest, simplest treatment (see skill No. 85) is a shot of antivenin, available after a quick 911 call or a trip to the ER. Although the chances of dying of a snakebite in the U.S. are quite slim, don’t waste time. On the way to getting treatment, minimize physical activity and lightly wrap the arm or leg just above the bite to limit swelling and slow the spread of venom.

True. Skill No. 44 explains that taller tires maintain better traction and prevent spinouts during braking or steering. Apply the throttle sparingly, and note that traction is poorest during near-freezing temperatures, when the pressure of the tires melts the snow or ice into a thin, slick film of water.

According to skill No. 98, you should hook up the cables in the exact configuration explained in the question, never allowing the two clamps to touch. The second black clamp goes on a metal engine part connected to the battery—this is because the second negative connection inevitably produces a spark, and you want that spark to occur some distance away from the flammable hydrogen present in either battery. After letting the live car idle for 10 minutes, jumpstart the dead battery and remove the clamps in reverse order.